ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

With respectful regards and immense

pleasure, I express my heartful thanks and deep sense
of gratitude to my chairperson Dr. R. SURESHKUMAR,
Lecturer (SS), Department of Horticulture, Faculty of
Agriculture, Annamalai University for having suggested
this research work, for her valuable guidance, constant
encouragement, constructive criticism and valuable
suggestions in the course of study.

Words are insufficient to express my thanks to

the advisory committee Dr. R. KANDASAMY Lecturer
(SS), Department of Horticulture and Dr. P.K.
KARTHIKEYAN Lecturer (SS), Department of Soil science

&Agricultural Chemistry for their encouragement and

keen interest shown during the course of study.

I owe my sincere thanks to Dr. K.

MANIVANNAN, Professor and Head of the Department,

Annamalai University for his support and

encouragement throughout my study.

I am thankful to Dr. A. ANBURANI, Dr. P.

KARUPPIAH, Dr. S. RAMESHKUMAR, Readers and Dr. D.
DHANASEKARAN, Lecturer (SS), Department of
Horticulture for their valuable help and for their help
rendered during my research work.

I record my thanks and gratitude to ALL

TEACHING STAFF MEMBERS, DEPARTMENT OF
HORTICULTURE and all the non teaching staffs for their
encouragement during the whole tenure of the study.

Words are inadequate to express my gratitude

to my colleagues for their interest and help shown
during the research work. I owe heartiest thanks to my
friends and my junior friends for their keen and kind co-
operation.

On a personal note, I express my abundant

and affectionate gratitude to my Parents, Mr. S.
SUNDARAMOORTHI, Mrs. S. PARAMESWARI (Late),
Mrs. S. MAHALAKSHMI, my sister’s Miss. S. KAVITHA,
Miss. S. SUDHA, my brother Mr. S. BHARATHI and my

other relatives without whose generous sacrifices,

encouragement and inspiration, this study could not
have been made possible.
 I am also thankful to M. THENNARASU and
S. SURESH for their assistance in excellent execution of

my thesis.

Any omissions there in inspite of every effort

to acknowledge the helps rendered is inadvertent.

(S. RAMESHKUMAR)